Phonograph-reproducer.



A. N. PIERMAN.

.PHQNOGRAPH REPRODUCER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 19.1913.

1,21 1,874. Patented Jan. 9,1917.

[gala JZZyJ UNITED STATES PATENT onmon.

ALEXANDER N. PIERMAN, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO NEW JERSEY PATENT COMPANY, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A

CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PHONOGRAPH-REPRODUCER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9,1917.

Application filed July 19, 1913. Serial No. 779,917.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER N; PIER- MAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Phonograph-Reproducers, of which the following is a. description. My invention relates to phonograph reproducers of the pneumatic type, that is of the type in which undulations corresponding to sound waves are impressed upon a current of any suitable moving fluid by the operation of a suitable valve, the valve being operated in accordance with sound waves, as by connection with a reproducing stylus tracking a record groove.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an improved reproducer of the class described whereby an improved qualityof sound reproduction can be obtained. Other objects of my invention will appear more fully. in the following specification and appended claims.

In order that my invention may be more clearly understood, attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and i which Figure 1 is a view partly in vertical section and partly in side elevation of a sound reproducer embodying my invention; Fig. f

of a material having a high elasticity, such 2 is a section thereof taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is aside view showing-a detail of construction; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing a modification of my invention; and Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view ofthe port member forming a part of the reproducer. I In all the views, like parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

Referringto the drawing, the sound box body comprises a cylindrical member 1, the

ends of which are closed by plates or other suitable closures 2 and 3. These plates or closures are seated against shoulders 4 and 5 respectively and are respectively held in place by rings 5 and 6 threaded within the ends of the member 1. A hollow chamber 3 has a passage extending therethrough, this passage communicating with the interior 10 of the chamber-like part 11 on the under side of the plate 3. The interior of the part 11 communicates with the chamber 7 through ports 12 formed in the said part. The outer surfaces on the part 11 through whichthe ports 12 open into the chamber '7 are inclined to each other and also inclined at an acute angle to the vertical axis ofthe ,the sound vibrations on said fluid, these valves being spaced from the inclined walls of the part 11 through which the ports 12 open into the chamber 7 by any suitable means,such as strips of paper 14, shown in the drawing between the upper ends of the valves and the part 11. The upper ends of the valves may be secured in position by means of clamping members 15 engaging the outer surfaces of the valves and secured to the-part 11-, as by means of screws 16.

I prefer to construct the valves 14: of plates as glass, so that by their quick action they may readily follow all of the undulations in the record to be reproduced. The thickness of the valve should be such as to permit the proper flexing or vibration thereof and at 'the same time to produce the desired tonal qualities, a thick valve producing a higher pitch than a thinner valve. When the valve is made of glass, I prefer to make the same between .004 and .005 of an inch thick, al-

though good results may be obtained'with valves ranging from003 to .012 of an inch in thickness. The thickness of the paper or other spacing material 14' should be such as to hold the valves spaced from the ports at their lower ends a sufiicient distance to permit the same to vibrate freely on both sides of their normal position when set into vibration in accordance with the vibrations of the sound record. Asuitable thickness for the paper or spacing material is .001 of an inch.

The valve operating mechanism comprises the following: A floating weight 17 is pivotally mounted asshown at 18 upon a pivot block 19 which is secured to the lower portion of the sound box body, as by a screw 20. A stylus lever 21 is pivoted at 22 to lugs 23 depending from floating weight 17. Stylus lever 21 carries stylus 24 adapted to track the undulations of the sound record A, and the tail of the lever 21 is connected to a vertical link 25 having at its upper end a spherical enlargement 26 bearing against the inner faces of the valves for operating the same. The weight 17 and the pressure of the fluid in the chamber 7 should be such that their effects on the valves 14 tend to balance each other. The upper part of link 25 passes through an opening in the bridge 11 which extends horizontally across the bottom of the part 11 and is guided in its vertical movement by said bridge.

In the operation of my improved device, air is admitted through the conduit 13 into the chamber 7 and the stylus 24 caused to traverse the undulations of the record A; whereupon the enlargement 26 is moved upwardly and downwardly by means of the stylus lever and the link 25 and exerts a wedging action on the valves 14 to force the same apart and away from the ports 12, the elasticity of the valves being suflicient .to

,move the same toward the ports 12 upon the upward movement of the link 25 and enlargement 26. In this way the extent of opening of the ports 12 is varied in accordance with the sound vibrations or undulations in the record A and these vibrations or undulations are impressed upon the fluid passing through the ports 12, the said fluid' then passing through the chamber 10 and opening 9, which latter may, if desired, communicate with a sound amplifying horn of any suitable construction. By inclining the valveslato'ward-the axis of the chamber 11 and the opening 9 and'ca'using the same to be moved 1nto open position by wedging action, very little power is required to operate the valves. The facility of operation of the valves is also increased by the fact that,

instead of being movable directly in the di-.

rection of the fluid passing into the chamber 10,"they are movable at an angle to the said direction and are therefore not hastened or retarded to any large extent in their movement by the movement of the fluid.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the spherical enlargement 26 of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is replaced by a flat plate 27.

Various other means may obviously be used to operate the valves in acordance with my invention.

member movable along the face of said valve to shift the latter relatively to said port for varying the extent of opening of said port, substantially as described.

2. In a phonograph, the combination of a hollow body having a port, a flexible valve for said port, and means arranged to flex said valve by wedging action thereon to vary the extent of opening of said port in accordance with sound vibrations, substantially as described.

3. In a honograph, the combination of a hollow bo y having a port, a flexible valve of high elasticity for said port, and means arranged to flex said valve by wedging action thereon to vary the extent of opening of said port in accordance with sound vibrations, substantially as described.

I. In a phonograph, the combination of a hollow body having a port, a flexible glass valve for said port, and means arranged to flex said valve by wedging action thereon to vary the extent of opening of said port in accordance with sound vibrations, substantially as described.

5. In a phonograph reproducer, the combination of a hollow body adapted to permit the passage of fluid therethrough, a plurality of valx es inclined to each other for controlling the passage of fluid through said body, and means comprising a single member coacting with said valves for operating the latter by wedging act-ion thereon to impress on the fluid passing through said body vibrations corresponding to sound waves, substantially as described.

6. In a phonograph reproducer, the combination of a hollow body having ports inclined to each other, flat valve plates for said ports, and means for moving said valve plates apart to vary the extent of opening of said ports in accordance with sound vibrations, substantially as described.

' 7. In a phonograph reproducer, the combination of a hollow body adapted to permit the passage of fluid therethrough, a plurality of valves for controlling the passage of fluid through said body, and means for operating said valves by wedging action thereon to impress on the fluid passing through said body vibrations corresponding to sound waves, substantially as described.

8. In a phonograph reproducer, the combination of a hollow body adapted to permit the passage of fluid therethrough, a plurality of valves inclined to each other for controlling the passage of fluid through said body, and means for'operating said valves by wedging action thereon to impress on the fluid passing through said body vibrations corresponding to sound Waves, substantially as described.

9. In a phonograph reproducer, the combination of a hollow body having ports inclined to each other, flat valves for said ports, a stylus, and means connecting said stylus and said valves for moving said valves apart to vary the extent of opening of said ports in accordance with sound vibrations, substantially as described.

10. In a phonograph reproducer, the C0111- bination of a hollow body having ports, valves for said ports, and means for wedging said valves apart to vary the extent of opening of said ports in accordance with sound vibrations, substantially as described.

11. In a phonograph reproducer, the combination of a hollow member having a passage therethrough, a valve for controlling the movement of fluid through said passage, said valve being inclined at an acute angle to said passage, and means for operating said valve 'by wedging action to impress on the fluid passing through said member vibrations corresponding to sound waves, substantially as described.

12. In a phonograph reproducer, the combination of a hollow member having a pas sage therethrough, a plurality of valves for controlling the movement of fluid through said passage, said-valves being inclined at an acute angle to said passage, and means for operating said valves by-wedging action to impress on the fluid passing through said member vibrations corresponding to sound Waves, substantially as described.

13. In a phonograph reproducer, the combination of a member having a port and a passage leading to' said port, a valve movable toward and away from said port for controlling the flow of fluid through said passage and port, said valve and the surface of said member adjacent said valve being arranged at an acute angle to said passage, and means for moving said valve at an angle to said passage to impress on the fluid vibrations corresponding to sound waves, substantially as described.

14. In a phonograph reproducer, the combination of a member having a plurality of ports and a passage leading to said ports, a valve movable toward and away from each of said ports for controlling the flow of fluid through said passage and ports, said valves being arranged at an acute angle to said passage, and means for moving said valves at an angle to said passage to impress on said fluid vibrations corresponding to sound Waves, substantially as described.

15. In a phonograph reproducer, the combination of a hollow body having ports, valves for said ports, and means comprising a spherical member engaging said valves for moving the latter apart to vary the extent of opening of said ports in accordance with sound vibrations, substantially as described.

16. In a phonograph reproducer, the combination of a hollow body having ports, valves inclined to each other, and means for moving said valves apart by wedging action to vary the extent of opening of said ports in accordance with sound vibrations, substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 17th day of July, 1913.

ALEXANDER N. PIERMAN.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK BACHMANN, MARY J. LAIDLAW. 

